“I suffer from excess sweating – is there anything I can do to stop it or at least hide the stains?” Lloyd via Twitter.
As any man who’s experienced the embarrassment of extending a handshake with sopping palms will agree, excessive sweating is the pits (pun intended).
Scientifically speaking, this condition is known as hyperhidrosis and affects around 5 per cent of people worldwide, so Lloyd – you’re not alone.
Not limited to swampy underarms, overactive sweat glands can appear in a range of unwanted areas, including the chest, back, face and groin.
While heat waves, humidity and hormones are beyond our control, there are a few things that can be done to keep you from melting into puddle.
If you’re dripping all day long, chances are a regular deodorant won’t cut the mustard. Reach for clinical-grade or prescription-strength antiperspirant like Driclor, which uses aluminium chloride to block the glands so sweat is reabsorbed back into the body, theoretically making supersoaker pit stains a thing of the past.
When getting dressed, make use of lightweight, seasonal fabrics such as linen that allow the skin the breathe. Providing it won’t cause you to overheat further, wearing a T-shirt under your shirt can also help stop those awkward underarm patches reaching the surface.
(Related: 4 Warm-Weather Fabrics Your Wardrobe Needs)
Most guys get drenched pumping iron, but if you’re nowhere near a barbell, the problem could be in your diet. Fiery foods and caffeine in particular are to the nervous system what spinach is to Popeye, so swerve the spice and say bye to the beans.
In more severe cases of hyperhidrosis, Botox injections can be used to block signals from the brain that tell the body to turn on the waterworks. If you don’t fancy needling your glands, you could adopt a bow as your new business greeting, though that might be even more awkward than the wet handshake.
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